Intentions to Use PrEP Among a National Sample of Transgender and Gender-Expansive Youth and Emerging Adults: Examining Gender Minority Stress, Substance Use, and Gender Affirmation.

Transgender and gender-expansive young people, ages 13-24 years, experience disproportionate HIV risk yet are among those with the lowest US PrEP uptake rates (< 10%). Factors influencing PrEP outcomes for this population are poorly understood. This study examines the effects of gender minority stressors, gender affirmation, and heavy substance use on their PrEP outcomes using data from the CDC's 2018 START study (N = 972).

Machine learning derived retinal pigment score from ophthalmic imaging shows ethnicity is not biology.

Few metrics exist to describe phenotypic diversity within ophthalmic imaging datasets, with researchers often using ethnicity as a surrogate marker for biological variability. We derived a continuous, measured metric, the retinal pigment score (RPS), that quantifies the degree of pigmentation from a colour fundus photograph of the eye. RPS was validated using two large epidemiological studies with demographic and genetic data (UK Biobank and EPIC-Norfolk Study) and reproduced in a Tanzanian, an Australian, and a Chinese dataset.

Trends and characteristics in ketamine use among US adults with and without depression, 2015-2022.

Background: Ketamine's potential for treating depression has drawn increased clinical interest in recent years. However, despite growing therapeutic use, recreational use among individuals with depression remain underexplored.

Methods: We analyzed data from the 2015-2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health focusing on adults in the US.

Factors associated with retention in Quitline counseling for smoking cessation among HIV-positive smokers receiving care at HIV outpatient clinics in Vietnam.

Background: Quitline counseling is an effective method for supporting smoking cessation, offering personalized and accessible assistance. Tobacco use is a significant public health issue among people living with HIV. In Vietnam, over 50% of men living with HIV use tobacco.

"I still can feel the sickness": Withdrawal experiences of people on methadone maintenance treatment.

Introduction: Opioid withdrawal is a regular occurrence for many people who use illicit opioids (PWUIO) involving acute physical and psychological pain. Yet, there is very little data on the withdrawal experience of people in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) and almost none from the patients' experience. Learning more about patients' withdrawal experiences can help to inform policies and practices that are better suited to address withdrawal and may improve patient satisfaction as well as uptake and retention.

Implementing an artificial intelligence system into a diabetic eye screening programme in Tanzania.

Tanzania has the highest age-adjusted prevalence of diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa. Diabetic retinopathy, a common complication, is a significant cause of vision loss; but with effective screening and treatment this often can be prevented. However, with very few specialist eye care staff in Tanzania this is a major challenge.

Integrating accelerometry, GPS, GIS and molecular data to investigate mechanistic pathways of the urban environmental exposome and cognitive outcomes in older adults: a longitudinal study protocol.

Introduction: Maintaining cognitive health in later life is a global priority. Encouraging individuals to make health behaviour changes, such as regular physical activity, and providing supportive urban environments can help maintain cognitive health, thereby preventing or delaying the progress of dementia and cognitive decline. However, the mechanistic pathways by which the urban environmental exposome influences cognitive health outcomes are poorly understood.

Identifying important and feasible primary care structures and processes in the US healthcare system: a modified Delphi study.

Objective: To identify primary care structures and processes that have the highest and lowest impact on chronic disease management and screening and prevention outcomes as well as to assess the feasibility of implementing these structures and processes into practice.

Design: A two-round Delphi study was conducted to establish consensus on the impact and feasibility of 258 primary care structures and processes.

Participants: 29 primary care providers, health system leaders and health services researchers in the USA.

A case study of the development of a valid and pragmatic implementation science measure: the Barriers and Facilitators in Implementation of Task-Sharing Mental Health interventions (BeFITS-MH) measure.

Background: Few implementation science (IS) measures have been evaluated for validity, reliability and utility - the latter referring to whether a measure captures meaningful aspects of implementation contexts. We present a real-world case study of rigorous measure development in IS that assesses Barriers and Facilitators in Implementation of Task-Sharing in Mental Health services (BeFITS-MH), with the objective of offering lessons-learned and a framework to enhance measurement utility.

Methods: We summarize conceptual and empirical work that informed the development of the BeFITS-MH measure, including a description of the Delphi process, detailed translation and local adaptation procedures, and concurrent pilot testing.

Engaging Diverse African American/Black and Latine Youth and Emerging Adults Living with HIV into Research: Description of Recruitment Strategies and Lessons Learned.

Improving engagement along the HIV care continuum and reducing racial/ethnic disparities are necessary to end the HIV epidemic. Research on African American/Black and Latine (AABL) younger people living with HIV (LWH) is essential to this goal. However, a number of key subgroups are challenging to locate and engage, and are therefore under-represented in research.

A community-academic partnership to develop an implementation support package for overdose prevention in permanent supportive housing.

Introduction: The overdose crisis in the U.S. disproportionately impacts people experiencing homelessness.

The tales of two cities: use of evidence for introducing 20 miles per hour speed limits in Edinburgh and Belfast (United Kingdom).

Background: In 2016, large-scale 20 miles per hour speed limits were introduced in the United Kingdom cities of Edinburgh and Belfast. This paper investigates the role that scientific evidence played in the policy decisions to implement lower speed limits in the two cities.

Methods: Using a qualitative case study design, we undertook content analysis of a range of documents to explore and describe the evolution of the two schemes and the ways in which evidence informed decision-making.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Incarceration: The Impact on Sexual Risk-Taking, Sexually Transmitted Infections, and Depression Among Black Sexual Minority Men in HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) 061.

Black men and people belonging to sexual minority groups are disproportionately impacted by criminal legal involvement and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Traumatic experiences are often associated with later criminal legal involvement, depression symptoms, sexual risk behavior, and STIs. Research on the joint influence of trauma and incarceration on STI risk among racial and/or sexual minority people is limited.

Empirical Development of a Behavioral Intervention for African American/Black and Latino Persons with Unsuppressed HIV Viral Load Levels: An Application of the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST) Using Cost-Effectiveness as an Optimization Objective.

We used results from an optimization randomized controlled trial which tested five behavioral intervention components to support HIV antiretroviral adherence/HIV viral suppression, grounded in the multiphase optimization strategy and using a fractional factorial design to identify intervention components with cost-effectiveness sufficiently favorable for scalability. Results were incorporated into a validated HIV computer simulation to simulate longer-term effects of combinations of components on health and costs. We simulated the 32 corresponding long-term trajectories for viral load suppression, health related quality of life (HRQoL), and costs.

Police Harassment and Psychiatric, Sexual, and Substance Use Risk Among Black Sexual Minority Men and Black Transgender Women in the HIV Prevention Trials 061 Cohort.

Background: Black sexual minority men and Black transgender women (BSMM/BTW) experience disproportionate levels of HIV/STI-related risk factors as well as police harassment (PH). PH is linked to psychiatric risk and could play a role in substance use, sexual risk behavior, and HIV/STI risk.

Methods: We used data from the HIV Prevention Trials Network 061(HPTN 061) study to examine associations between PH and HIV/STI-related outcomes.

Race and Ethnicity Are Related to Undesirable Home Health Care Outcomes in Seriously Ill Older Adults.

Objectives: Medicare Home Health Care (HHC) services are integral to the care of homebound seriously ill older adults requiring ongoing specialized medical care. Although disparities in health outcomes are well documented in inpatient and primary care, disparities experienced by historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in HHC are understudied. This study aimed to examine the relationship between individual characteristics and differences in HHC health outcomes for seriously ill older adults.

Longitudinal association between e-cigarette use and respiratory symptoms among US adults: Findings from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study Waves 4-5.

Background: We assessed longitudinal effects of e-cigarette use on respiratory symptoms in a nationally representative sample of US adults by combustible tobacco smoking status.

Methods: We analyzed Waves 4-5 public-use data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study. Study sample included adult respondents who reported no diagnosis of respiratory diseases at Wave 4, and completed Waves 4-5 surveys with no missing data on analytic variables (N = 15,291).

A Case Study of the Development of a Valid and Pragmatic Implementation Science Measure: The Barriers and Facilitators in Implementation of Task-Sharing Mental Health Interventions (BeFITS-MH) Measure.

Background: Few implementation science (IS) measures have been evaluated for validity, reliability and - the latter referring to whether a measure captures meaningful aspects of implementation contexts. In this case study, we describe the process of developing an IS measure that aims to assess arrirs and acilitators in mplementation of ask-haring in ental ealth services (BeFITS-MH), and the procedures we implemented to enhance its utility.

Methods: We summarize conceptual and empirical work that informed the development of the BeFITS-MH measure, including a description of the Delphi process, detailed translation and local adaptation procedures, and concurrent pilot testing.

Artificial intelligence-supported diabetic retinopathy screening in Tanzania: rationale and design of a randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Globally, diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major cause of blindness. Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to see the largest proportionate increase in the number of people living with diabetes over the next two decades. Screening for DR is recommended to prevent sight loss; however, in many low and middle-income countries, because of a lack of specialist eye care staff, current screening services for DR are not optimal.

Impact of Decarceration Plus Alcohol, Substance Use, and Mental Health Screening on Life Expectancies of Black Sexual Minority Men and Black Transgender Women Living With HIV in the United States: A Simulation Study Based on HPTN 061.

Background: Given the disproportionate rates of incarceration and lower life expectancy (LE) among Black sexual minority men (BSMM) and Black transgender women (BTW) with HIV, we modeled the impact of decarceration and screening for psychiatric conditions and substance use on LE of US BSMM/BTW with HIV.

Methods: We augmented a microsimulation model previously validated to predict LE and leading causes of death in the US with estimates from the HPTN 061 cohort and the Veteran's Aging Cohort Studies. We estimated independent associations among psychiatric and substance use disorders, to simulate the influence of treatment of one condition on improvement on others.

Trends in reported and biologically confirmed drug use among people who use ecstasy in the nightclub/festival-attending population, 2016-2022.

Background: Nightclub/festival attendees are a population with high rates of party drug use, but research is needed to determine whether there have been shifts in unintended drug exposure in this population (e.g., via adulterants) to inform prevention and harm reduction efforts.

A multivariable analysis delineating hair color, hair dyeing, and hat wearing as predictors of level of cocaine and MDMA detection in human hair samples.

Research suggests that hair color, hair dyeing, and perspiration can bias hair test results regarding drug exposure, but research is needed to examine such associations in a multivariable manner. In this epidemiology study, adults were surveyed entering nightclubs and dance festivals in New York City, and 328 provided hair samples, which were analyzed using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to determine the level of detection of cocaine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Reporting use was not an inclusion criterion for analysis.